


A Little Bit Unexpected (Or Not)

by Tumble Down (tumbledown)



Series: Mohawks & Denim [6]
Category: World Wrestling Entertainment
Genre: M/M
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2016-03-22
Updated: 2016-03-22
Packaged: 2018-05-28 07:54:20
Rating: Mature
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 8,976
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/6321244
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/tumbledown/pseuds/Tumble%20Down
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>Over the Thanksgiving break, the guys spend time with their respective family and friends, and come to a couple of realizations about themselves... not that they'll listen.</p>
            </blockquote>





	A Little Bit Unexpected (Or Not)

**Author's Note:**

> I'm not happy with this at all, ugh, it was such a pain to write. I even lost interest in writing it at all for a long time, but I finally made myself finish it. In any case, I hope you find it readable and the OCs not too awkward. I am so out of practice writing OCs, so I really welcome any and all concrit you have for them.
> 
> Unbetaed per usual, sorry. I spell-check and try to do a grammar reread, but please point out any mistakes you might see. I'd appreciate it. Comments and critique are welcomed, either here or at peacelovevinyl.tumblr.com.
> 
> Enjoy, I hope.
> 
> ETA: I tried and tried and TRIED to fix the texting italics, but no matter what AO3 won't save the changes. I'm sorry, I don't know what to do.

Dolph wasn’t sure what woke him up. It was dark and mostly quiet in the room; only the soft sound breathing filled it, and that was when he remembered.

_Sheamus._

He wasn’t sure what time it was and he didn’t want to risk disturbing the sleeping man to find out. They were damn near cuddling and Dolph couldn’t help but bask in the feeling of having Sheamus’s arm around him, his own arm mirroring the position. His other arm had moved under the pillows and was now being pinned in place by Sheamus and had long since went numb, but he didn’t care. He could faintly feel the air on his face whenever the man exhaled. It felt so good having someone in his arms and being in their arms as well, and especially after what had occurred however many hours earlier in the night… He felt his cock twitch at the memory. He swallowed a groan and forced his thoughts elsewhere.

He had been surprised that so many hadn’t seen it coming that Sheamus had chose that moment to cash-in. He had been guessing that was the plan for some time now, especially since the eventual winner of the tournament would have had two matches that night. And it wasn’t as if Sheamus had ever said anything to him to give him that idea, since he often avoided any conversation dealing with specific plans or matches, it had just seemed so obvious. No, Dolph hadn’t guessed that he’d get in bed with the McMahons-- ugh, he thought, bad mental image-- although he wasn’t exactly surprised, either. What actually had made him raise an eyebrow in surprise was the fact that apparently _Roman_ hadn’t see it coming. Dolph had at least figured Dean would have been lurking around to offer backup if necessary, but apparently he’d been in the showers at the time it went down from what Dolph had heard.

It wasn’t that Dolph didn’t feel bad for Roman, he did-- because to not only get close but actually get there and then lose, well, that somehow seemed worse than losing outright-- but at the same time, he also felt like asking, ‘What did you expect?’

To further muddy the conflicting feelings he was having over it, he was also proud of Sheamus. It hadn’t been the nice thing to do, but it had been the smart thing, and his-- and Sheamus was most certainly smart... although admittedly he was also clueless about some things, as was evidenced by his earlier awkward comment that night. Dolph had winced in sympathy while watching backstage, which had turned into anger as he saw the hurt and confusion on Sheamus’s face and saw him actually _backing up_ , holding the briefcase tightly in front of him like a shield. He had been gripped by sudden desire to go down there and yell at everyone laughing at the man, but he had remained firmly in his seat. At least Barrett had seemed to be on Sheamus’s side; Dolph never had never really liked the man much, but he was glad Sheamus had him as a friend.

He actually had risen from his seat when those New Day idiots left him high and dry, but had forced himself to sit back down and instead hoped that whatever Sheamus did to get back at them, it would be bad, and to ask if he could help.

Movement brought him out of his thoughts; Sheamus was stirring. Dolph began gently rubbing the pale back under his hand and soon the redhead had settled again, his breaths evening out once more. He kept up the motion as his mind drifted again.

He had thought they’d be celebrating that night, but despite multiple texts he never got a response. It eventually had become quite late and he had given up and gone to bed. He had eventually received one sometime after, although he hadn’t found it until his alarm had gone off in the morning. It had figured that he had been cockblocked by Triple H, and he had tried not to be too put out by the fact that Sheamus had decided to hang out with his new allies instead of joining him for some fun.

It’s not like we’re dating, he had reminded himself, and of course he’d want to keep his allies happy.

After Raw Dolph hadn’t been sure whether or not he’d show up, but Sheamus had ended up knocking on his door only about ten minutes after Dolph himself had arrived. He hadn’t been sure either what to expect when he opened the door, but being pounced on almost immediately had been driven away any doubt. There had been an intensity to Sheamus, an almost fierceness that had left Dolph mesmerized. And when Sheamus had made it clear that he was the one being fucked that night, Dolph had felt breathless.

He had thought about it, of course, but Sheamus had never seemed like he was interested and it wasn’t exactly a hardship for Dolph to be the receiver-- he really liked being fucked and Sheamus did it very well-- so he hadn’t asked. Hadn’t gave any indication either, he thought, which may have been the reason Sheamus had sought the okay for it, for which Dolph was more than ready to agree. Sheamus had started opening himself up then and he had practically begged to watch; when the request was granted he had felt enthralled watching those long pale fingers disappear inside and slip back out, scissoring and stretching. He’d not soon forget that image, as it had been seared into his memory.

Once they had started, however, that fierceness unfortunately had proven to put a damper on the proceedings. It had taken most of his control to hold still and not thrust, but he had done so, and had managed enough presence of mind to help out as best he could. Babbling about being almost being a lawyer probably wasn’t what Sheamus had meant when he had asked Dolph to talk, but any sexy talk at that moment would have had either broken his control or send him over the edge far too early.

Soon Sheamus had relaxed and Dolph had slid all the way in, and then, oh, then he was in absolute fucking heaven. Sheamus had looked gorgeous riding him, head thrown back in ecstasy, that beautiful pale throat bared and glistening with sweat. Dolph had been amazed he had lasted as long he did being presented with that sight.

His cock twitched again, and he tried to suppress a groan. He should try to go back to sleep, not pop an erection that he’d be unable to take care of without waking Sheamus. And while that would probably lead to fun times, one thing he had learned over the weeks was that once asleep Sheamus liked to stay asleep and not be awoken too early, not even by pleasure.

Dolph bit his lip. He wasn’t going to fall back asleep like this, especially not with his arm numb and his shoulder starting to hurt. If he took it slow, he’d might be able to move it without waking the man beside him. He began gently easing it out from under the pillow, pausing every few seconds to make sure Sheamus hadn’t awakened. It was a bit awkward since he couldn’t shift properly to help, but he was almost completely out when the pins and needles started abruptly. He winced and apparently his other arm tightened enough around Sheamus’s waist to rouse him.

“Hmm?” he heard, and Dolph could just make out eyes blinking in the dark.

“Shit, sorry,” he whispered, pulling his arm the rest of the way out. “Go back to sleep, I was trying to change position.”

“Wha’ time issit?” Sheamus mumbled, apparently still half-asleep.

“Um…” Dolph rolled over to check the time on the clock on the night stand. “A little after four.”

“Fuckin’ early.”

“Yeah, sorry,” he repeated. “Arm was numb and I had to move.”

“S’fine, just go to sleep.”

Dolph remained on his other side and closed his eyes, trying to ignore the prickling in his arm as the blood flow returned. He already missed having Sheamus is his arms, but he could still hear him breathe beside him. That would have to do.

“What are y’doin’?” Sheamus asked.

“Trying to sleep?” he replied, confused, and was met with actual grumble.

“Get over here,” Sheamus said, reaching over to wrap his arm around Dolph’s waist and pull him back until they were flush against one another. A nose nuzzled the back of his neck and he felt as well as heard a pleased hum against the skin there. “Now go to sleep.”

Dolph smiled in the dark. He couldn’t remember the last time he was the little spoon, but he wasn’t complaining. He shifted his half-numb arm over top Sheamus’s, snuggled into his pillow, and began to drift off.

He wasn’t sure why, but just before he fell asleep he realized that the title belt Sheamus was so proud of had been unceremoniously thrown aside as soon as he had been through the door. He was in dreamland before he could even wonder if that meant anything.

***

A few days off for the American holiday of Thanksgiving was just what Sheamus needed. He had been feeling a little out of sorts ever since he had woken up Tuesday morning with blond hair tickling his face, an erection sliding against a lovely tan arse, and his own arse hurting. It was such an odd mix of sensations and hadn’t been sure what to react to first-- the pain, the horniness, or the pool of warmth that had seemed to keep getting bigger every time he was with Dolph, a warmth that he had been starting to realize was _fondness_.

He actually was beginning to maybe _like_ Dolph Ziggler and not just as a fuck buddy. 

The alarm had gone off then, thankfully, and he had been able to shove everything aside and dutifully ignore it for the next couple of days until he was walking through his own front door. Now he had time to think about it, whether he liked it or not. He didn’t particularly want to, but he knew from experience that ignoring an issue never actually made it go away.

It didn’t help that Dolph kept texting him.

_do u celebrate thnksgvg_ , was the first text he received Wednesday afternoon. 

_I celebrate days off._

_lol true_  
im surprised u dont go back 2 ireland  
since its a family hol  & all 

That annoyed him a little. Did Dolph not think he cared about his family? He’d love to visit his family every time they had a few days off, but it just wasn’t financially feasible. Even with their pay being on the road constantly made a sizeable dent in it.

_Too expensive for this and Christmas as well.  
I call them instead._

_thats good_  
im sure they miss u  
did u see them on tour 

Miss him? His mum usually tried squeeze the life out of him, his sisters teamed up to tackle his shoulders with hugs, and his nieces and nephew usually went for the legs. If his father was there he’d just stand back and laugh at him as he tried to walk into the house.

_I did. Had my first home-cooked meal in a long time._

_thats the best kind_  
its y its worth it 2 deal with hol travel  
family  & good food 

It was, he thought. His mum would especially like to go all out, feeding him like he was still a teenage torn between being gangly and chubby and shooting up practically an inch a month and always hungry. 

_You going home?_ he asked out of curiosity, since it seemed like Dolph would be the kind to always go back home.

_yeah soon_  
laundrys done gotta go  
text u later when i get there ok 

_Okay._

***

The next day his attempt at figuring out one Dolph Nicholas Ziggler and just how in the hell he had started actually like the man was interrupted when the man himself had texted him with good news.

_guess what_

_What._

_im gonna be an uncle_

_Your brother?_

_no his gf_

_You’re not as funny as you think you are. I fear for this child_ , he texted back, although he didn’t really. Well, not too much.

_fuck u im hilarious & u know it  
im gonna be the best uncle ever_

_Pretty sure my sister’s kids think that’s me._

_ha i bet they think ur not_

_Only because they get bothered for autographs all the time._

_sure_  
u believe that  
jk u probly r  
*probably  
i know u will correct me 

He huffed out a short laugh at that. He knew Dolph was baffled by his use of correct spelling and grammar in a text, which he kept up even more so than was usual for him because Dolph would make the funniest faces when commenting on it. He had begun correcting the spelling in their texts on a lark to further annoy the blond, but it hadn’t really worked as much as he hoped.

_Believe me, I’ve given up on that.  
And I’m not teaching you any uncle trade secrets so you can forget sucking up._

_argh_  
dont make me want 2 do a sex joke  
my parents r in the same room  
& ill be awesome @ it w/o ur help just u wait 

Never let it be said that he didn’t take a great opportunity when he saw one, especially one he accidentally created.

_Well I was going to send a great dick picture later, but never mind then._

_y r u so mean_  
fuck  
pls send it  
ill jerk off 2 it 2nite in my old room  
itll be like im a teen again 

_You want to sext while your parents are in the room?_

_ugh no_  
send it later  
ill return the favor ;) 

_You better._

_i will i promise_  
r u eating 2day  
w/others i mean  
not alone 

He actually had been invited by his neighbors to join them. Mr. and Mrs. Gomez watched over his house while he was away and even collected his mail for him after he had a few pieces stolen; thankfully it had been nothing important. An older couple, they had retired to the Florida some years ago after their children were grown. They reminded Sheamus a little bit of his grandparents, though they were much younger, and they helped ease the homesickness he felt now and then. While he had been off injured they had often stopped by to see if he how he was doing and to lend a hand if he needed it for anything, such as carrying in grocery bags. He had initially been wary of their overt friendliness-- by that point he had decided he was done being the good guy and also had been snappish with most people as frustration with his shoulder had set in-- but they won him over. They had been one of the few good things in his life during those months.

Even so he hadn’t planned on joining them, figuring time alone with his thoughts were what he needed to figure this whole thing with Dolph out. It was tempting, though, to ignore a little bit longer.

 _Neighbors invited me_ , he texted back.

_r u going_

_Probably not._

_aw i dont want u 2 be alone  
r they good ppl_

_They are._

_then maybe u should go_  
relax  & eat good food  
maybe not ur mom or dads cooking  
but maybe close  
besides this way u dont have 2 cook  
also leftovers 

Sheamus snorted at that, but Dolph wasn’t wrong. He wasn’t much into cooking himself, though he knew enough to eat healthy and get by. And both of the Gomezes were great cooks, usually coming over with some ‘extra’ they had made to share with him when he was home. More than once it was enough to feed him the entire few days he was off, and back during his injury he had barely ever needed to cook for himself. He liked their company, certainly, and there would be good food. Plus he could ignore this thing of theirs for a little while longer.

Tempting indeed.

 _I’ll think about it_ , he replied, even though he was almost positive he’d be going now.

_good  
oh hey look @ this_

A moment later a picture of a small table set with multiple dishes came, with the focus set on a large dish that looked like some kind of roast.

_dad made tofurky_  
told u hippies lol  
its not 2 bad actually 

_If you say so._

_i do_  
oops g2g moms saying no more txting  
time 2 eat  
ttyl  
dont forget that pic ;) 

Shaking his head and wondering how in the hell he had got to this point, Sheamus went into his contacts and scrolled to the Gomezes’ number. Time to see if they still had room for one more.

***

Dolph shoved his phone into his pocket and took his place at the table across from his brother. Ryan was dressed much like him with jeans and a simple button-down short-sleeve shirt, his short brown hair sticking out at odd angles due to his habit of running his hand through it. He looked a bit stressed and like perhaps he hadn’t been getting as much sleep as he should. Dolph wondered if it was because of the pregnancy news. It hadn’t been planned, although hadn’t exactly been entirely an accident, either, or so he had told everyone. Dolph took that to mean that he had taken their father’s _que será, será_ philosophy to heart.

His likely future sister-in-law, Corinne, was on his right. Her long brown hair was braided, the dyed purple streak haphazardly woven in and out. Dolph had always heard about pregnant women having a glow, but he wasn’t able to see it. Still, she looked happy, if a bit tired, and maybe that was people meant by it. She was wearing what looked like one of Ryan’s old plain t-shirts, belted at the waist because it nearly was a dress on her, with jeans that were worn, but still nice. She always had that easy, comfortable and yet stylish look, something that Dolph was admittedly a little jealous of with how she pulled it off effortlessly.

His dad, a slim, greying man taller than both he and his brother, was on his left. His mom always called her husband a ‘beanpole that would disappear if he turned sideways,’ something the man would often wryly admit was probably true. It actually looked like his fifty-some years were finally catching up, as Dolph had noticed that for once in his life his dad a bit of a belly hanging over his belt buckle. The man still probably weighed less than 150 lbs. soaking wet and ate more than some of the guys on the roster. He idly wondered if his dad was still on a ban from the college cafeteria.

His mom sat on his dad’s left. Her silvery strands poked through the dark blonde hair here and there, glimmering when they caught the light. It was from her Dolph got his smile, or so he was often told. Her hand were rough and bit gnarled from working with them in one fashion or another most of her life, but he knew that they were strong still and could play a guitar or carve a piece of wood or wallop ketchup out of the bottle with ease.

It was a bit of a tight fit with five people around the small table, but they were used to it and made it work. Everything smelled so good that he just wanted to dive right in, but even in his family they were traditions to observe; in this case, it was telling things they were thankful for from the past year, including the silly as well as the serious.

“Alright, everyone, we know the drill. Who wants to go first?” his mom asked, looking around the table.

“I do,” his brother, Ryan, said. “I am thankful for Google, for it will help me many times a day to figure out how to do this dad thing.” Corrine smacked him in the arm playfully. “What?” he asked her. “It’s true.”

“Hey, we didn’t have the internet with you two, we didn’t do so bad,” his dad said. “I think.”

“Google would have been nice to have then, definitely,” said his mom. “But I think we muddled through enough.”

“You named us Dolphin and Meadow,” Dolph pointed out, using his brother’s actual first name and causing the man to grimace.

“And?” his mom replied, doing her best to look innocent. 

“Just stating the facts,” he said.

“Here’s a fact, you’re going next,” Ryan said.

“Why am I next?”

“Because you used the name, the name that shall not be spoken, and this is your punishment.” Dolph rolled his eyes.

“Fine. I’m thankful for…” he trailed off, his mind blanking. It was ridiculous, he was thankful for a lot of things, but nothing was really coming to mind. Well… one thing, or rather one person, was…

“For what, Dolphin? Come on, I know there’s something,” prompted his mom.

“Or maybe someone?” Corrine asked. Startled, Dolph shot her a look. Her hazel eyes sparked with mischief. “Don’t look at me like that, we all saw that goofy smile on your face while you were texting.”

“She’s right, you looked really goofy,” Ryan agreed.

“I’m thankful you’re across from me,” Dolph said, then kicked him.

“Ow, dick!”

“Boys,” his father said, half-heartedly glaring at both of them, before turning to Dolph. “Although I have to agree, whoever it was certainly put you in a good mood.”

“He’s just…”

Just what, he wondered. A friend? He had realized that he was beginning to actually like Sheamus, and not just as a casual hook-up, either. Did that count as friendship? He thought the man liked him back, at least a little bit. He wasn’t entirely sure, though. They were lovers, but they weren’t… They weren’t more than that. It wasn’t just sex, he couldn’t deny that, but it wasn’t a relationship, either. 

“Dolphin!”

“What?” he asked, and then realized that his mom had been trying to get his attention.

“We lost you there,” she said, then smiled knowingly. Much to his annoyance, so was everyone else. “I don’t think this ‘he’ is just anything.”

“He’s… it’s not serious,” he said, mentally scrambling to find the words to put this to rest. “We just sort of, uh, came together and--”

“Oh, I bet,” Corinne muttered under her breath, then grinned when he glared at her.

“Alright, let’s take pity on him,” his dad said. “Are you thankful for this man being in your life, in whatever capacity?”

“Yes,” he said without hesitation. That was certainly true.

“Good. Now I believe it’s my turn. I am thankful that the cafeteria have lifted the restrictions on me…”

Dolph mostly tuned out the rest of dinner. He made conversation, ate, and knew at one point toward the end he had kneeled down to talk to Corinne’s still flat stomach and explained how much he was sorry that the kid would have an idiot for a father that relied on Google to tell him what to do, but that he or she will have an awesome uncle, a good mom, and wonderful grandparents to look after him. (He remembered that mostly because Ryan had gotten up and put him in a friendly headlock, while his dad merely had stepped around them as he began to clear the table and his mom and Corinne had shouted pointers. It had ended when their dad said that they had started before the bell rung, and thus there could be no winner. And also that since he, their mom, and Corinne had cooked, they had to do the dishes.) It had all been done mostly on autopilot, however, his mind busy with trying to figure out the question of Sheamus and just what they were.

As they had in childhood, Ryan took his place in front of the sink to wash and Dolph stood in front of the drying rack with a towel. They started in silence, but that never lasted with them.

“So, little bro--”

“I’m older than you.”

“I’m taller and therefore the bigger brother, thus making you the little brother,” Ryan said, rekindling the old argument between them.

“It’s a one inch difference!”

“Hey, an inch matters,” he said cheekily, handing Dolph a pan. “Ask your guy if you don’t believe me.”

Okay, so maybe he had set the pan in the drying rack a little too forcefully. Enough to for his mom to call out if everything was alright, though thankfully not enough to do any damage to it. He had shouted back it was all fine and once again they had continued again in silence, Ryan glancing over at him every few seconds.

“Shit,” Dolph said. “Sorry. Guess I’m being touchy.”

“Yeah,” said Ryan. “Touchy like Corinne’s been getting lately. Now she’s got hormones running amok in her system causing that, so I suppose that’s your problem, too.” Dolph couldn’t think of a response that would stop this conversation, so he said nothing and just dried each dish he was handed. “Or maybe,” Ryan continued, “it’s something else.”

“It’s-- I don’t know, okay? I don’t know.” He let out a frustrated sigh. He put the plate in the rack then dropped the towel on the counter, leaning on his elbows beside it. “It’s complicated.”

“Well, duh. It always is.”

“You’re just so helpful,” he deadpanned.

“I know,” Ryan said, then stopped what he was doing as well. “Okay, talk.”

“No.”

“Then I will,” he said, grabbing the towel off of the counter to dry his hands. “Y’know, usually when you’ve hooked up with someone new you’re on the phone talking my ear off about them. I spend half the summer listening to ‘Lana this’ and ‘Lana that’. There is a whole list of names that I can no longer stand hearing because you went on and on about someone with that name. You turn into this stereotypical teenaged girl each time. It’s kind of embarrassing, really.”

“Asshole,” Dolph grumbled. “I care about the people I’m dating, what a shock.”

“No, what’s a shock is that you haven’t this time-- _at all_. If it’s long enough to get complicated, then you’ve been together long enough that you should be calling me a two in the morning to blather on about him. And yet, you haven’t.”

“Your point?” he asked, though he knew where this was going. Ryan wouldn’t stop until he had his say, so best to get it over with.

“My point is just that it’s unusual and maybe you should think about why.”

“I know why.”

“Enlighten me.”

“It’s a coworker, okay? First of all, I don’t even know if he’s out publically. I’m not, not really. A few of my friends know, but that’s it. It’s just not something that comes up often and honestly it’s not really anyone’s business.”

“Okay, so you want to keep it quiet. Still doesn’t explain why you haven’t said anything to me. You know I don’t tell your secrets. I never have and I never will. So what’s the explanation for that?”

Fuck, Dolph thought, that’s why he’s on me about this.

Ryan was right, he had never spoken of anything Dolph had confided in him. Dolph had done the same for him, and always will. They were brothers. Sure, they’d tell on each for stupid things, but never for something important and nothing ever given in confidence.

“It wasn’t supposed to be anything,” he started. “One night we just hooked up. And it was great. And even though we didn’t like each other--”

“You slept with someone you didn’t like?” Ryan looked at him like he was nuts.

“Do you want to hear this or not?” He got a wave for him to continue. “No, we didn’t like each other, but even so it was good and it was fun. More fun than I had had in a while, and I said we should continue. He agreed.”

“But then?”

“Then… I got to know him. We’d talk some and text. Every couple of days, I’d text him my room number and--”

“No details, please, for the love of dad’s tofurky,” Ryan pleaded, covering his ears. It was silly, but it made Dolph crack a smile.

“Fine, I’ll skip the fun parts. It’s been a month and as I’ve gotten to know him, I guess I kinda do like him.”

“Does he like you back?” Dolph shrugged, figuring that was easiest way to sum it all up. “Ah. Complicated.”

“Yup.”

“Sorry, bro. Unrequited love sucks,” said Ryan. He picked up another pan and began scrubbing it, but Dolph had frozen in place.

Love?

... _Fuck_.

He needed air. He walked past his brother to the back door, ignoring Ryan’s shout, and stepped out into the cool air. The backyard was the size of a postage stamp, no where near enough space to have a miniature freak out over the fact that he was starting to fall for Sheamus. Shit, how did he not see this coming? How? 

“Hey, you okay?”

A hand on his shoulder startled him out of his thoughts enough to flinch back. He glanced over in time to see Corrine jerk her hand back and look at him worriedly.

“Sorry,” he said, feeling like an ass.

“You okay?” she repeated. He huffed out a laugh.

“Not really, no.”

“Is it about your guy?” He nodded. “I’m guessing you don’t want to talk about it?”

“Hell no,” he said.

“Okay,” she said simply, standing beside him.

“Why are you out here?” he asked, hoping he didn’t sound too sharp. 

“Feeling a little nauseous. Morning sickness is a huge misnomer,” she explained. “It comes and goes. Your mom said fresh air helped her with you two, so I’m giving it a try.”

“Fresh air? In _Cleveland_? Is it working?”

Corrine shrugged and said, “It hasn’t made it worse so far, so it’s still on the ‘worth a try’ side of things.”

“I still can’t believe you’re pregnant. I mean, it’s awesome, but you and Ryan are going to be parents and I’m going to be an uncle and it’s just--”

“Trippy, huh?”

“Yeah,” Dolph said. And it was. His little brother-- who most certainly was the little brother, an inch taller or not-- was going to be a dad. “You freaking out yet?”

“Oh, yeah,” she said, nodding. “Pretty much had the same reaction you just had now. That kind of ‘oh shit now what do I do’ expression was all over our faces after we found out. Hell, it still is most mornings now when we wake up and realize it wasn’t a dream.”

“I told Sh-- my guy about it. That’s what we were texting about earlier. It’s okay, right, that I told him? He’s not going to tell anyone.”

“It’s fine,” she reassured him. “We’re going to tell most people now anyhow. We just wanted you guys to know first.”

“Gotcha.”

“What did he say?” she asked.

“He said that his sister’s kids think he’s the best uncle ever, and that he’s not sharing any special uncle secrets. I told him that I would be awesome at it without him.”

“I’m sure you’ll do just fine, with or without him.”

Subtlety, thy name is not Corinne.

“Yeah, I know,” he said, looking away from her.

As they stood there in comfortable silence and watched the daylight begin to fade, he could only think that he’d much rather be with Sheamus instead of without him.

***

Sheamus felt a little awkward standing on his neighbor’s doorstep empty-handed. He had been taught to always contribute somehow, but Mrs. Gomez had insisted he only needed to bring his appetite. That was good because he hadn’t really had anything in the house that would be appropriate to bring, but he still felt like his grandmother would be appalled by this. He had done everything else on the mental checklist-- showered, shaved as needed, combed and braided his beard, slicked back his hair, and wore some of the nicest casual clothes he owned. He still thought she wouldn’t approve.

He knocked on the door and waited but a moment before it was opened to reveal Mr. Gomez, an average-sized man with a small paunch and blond hair that had long since begun to turn white. He smiled broadly when he saw Sheamus, his green eyes nearly disappearing from the motion.

“Welcome, Sheamus, welcome,” he said, motioning him inside. “I’m glad you decided to join us.”

“Thank you for inviting me,” he replied, checking off another item, although unlike many family dinners he had been dragged to as kid he actually meant it this time.

“Of course, why wouldn’t we? Annie is just starting to set the table,” Mr. Gomez said, leading him into the dining room. Mrs. Gomez bustled in from the kitchen with a heavy dish in her hands.

“May I help you?” Sheamus asked, hands already reaching out of habit.

“No, no, I’ve got it,” she said, setting the dish down and removing the lid to reveal a beautifully golden turkey. She held up her arm and flexed a bit. “I’ve still got plenty of strength in these babies.”

“She does,” Mr. Gomez confided as she returned to the kitchen. “If she challenges you to arm wrestling contest, don’t take her up on it unless you’re prepared to lose. She made the mailman cry.”

“I did not!” she shouted from the kitchen.

“She did, I swear, I saw it myself.”

Sheamus knew for a fact that their mailman was a part-time bodybuilder in his thirties, and yet he could believe it because he had seen Mrs. Gomez lugging around boxes full of books that easily weighed fifty pounds or more like it they were full of feathers.

“Charlie, stop telling the boy stories,” she scolded, coming back in with a loaded dish in each hand.

“Am I? Were there not tears in the man’s eyes?”

“The sun was in his eyes.”

“He was right here, in this dining room. How could the sun be in his eyes?”

Mrs. Gomez looked away, then glanced back at her husband. She turned to Sheamus and shrugged. “There may have been one tear.”

“Ha, you admit it, you made a grown man cry with your strength.”

“You know,” Sheamus said, grinning, “there’s probably a place for you in the industry if you ever decide to do something other than shaking teenagers down for their overdue library fines.”

“Don’t be absurd,” she said, then gave him a small smile, “I have way too much fun doing that.”

“I cannot stand in the way of fun,” Sheamus told her. “Are you sure I can’t help with anything?”

“No, no, I got it, it’s just a few more dishes and we’ll be set. Go on, sit yourselves down,” she said, then once again headed back into the kitchen.

It wasn’t until then that he realized that there were only three place settings. He frowned at that, surely one of their kids and their families would have come at least. Had he messed something up? They had invited him, but was it a serious invitation? Unsure, he voiced his concerns.

“Of course we wanted you to come! We wouldn’t have invited you if we didn’t, we’re not like that. No, this is the ‘off’ year. Every other year Julia and Marcus come with their families, while during the off year they each go to their in-laws and we get a break from cooking and hosting. It’s just us three this year.”

And with that Sheamus was very glad he had decided to come, and that Dolph had nudged him into it. Before his mind could wander into dangerous territory, however, Mrs. Gomez returned, balancing three large bowls in her arms with ease. She sat everything down-- allowing both of them to assist in placing them around the table-- and then began to look over everything. Her grey-streaked black hair was coming loose from where she had pinned it up, but instead of making her look frazzled it just framed her face and kind brown eyes.

“It’s all fine, dear,” Mr. Gomez said. She sighed and nodded, and had begun to sit down when she stood back up.

“Oh, the wine!”

She returned quick as a blink with a bottle and corkscrew, which she used and then began to pour them each a glass. Sheamus was more of a beer guy, personally, but he didn’t hate wine and certainly wasn’t going to say anything. Who knows, maybe he’d take a fancy to this kind. Wine served, she finally sat down.

“Shall I say grace, or would you like to?” Mr. Gomez asked.

“Oh, please do, it would be lovely to hear it in your accent,” said Mrs. Gomez.

“She just loves your accent. Think you can teach it to me? Maybe I can capture some of that attention,” Mr. Gomez said with a wink.

“Charlie, honestly,” she said, rolling her eyes. 

“I can say grace,” Sheamus told them, amused by their interactions. “I often do it when I’m home, though usually my family has me say it in Gaelic.”

“That’s fine with me,” Mr. Gomez said.

“I’d love to hear some Gaelic,” Mrs. Gomez agreed.

“Alright, then.” Sheamus folded his hands and closed his eyes, recalling the words he learned in childhood. “ **Beannaigh sinn, a Thiarna, agus iad seo do thíolacaí atáimid ag dul á gcaitheamh, trí Chríost ár dTiarna, Áiméan**.”

“Amen,” the couple murmured together after him, followed by few seconds of silence.

“Now let’s get this party started!”

“Charlie!”

Sheamus laughed and then helped to pass the dishes around. For the first few minutes there were only the sounds of dishes and cutlery as they began to serve themselves. It smelled delicious, and he couldn’t wait to start.

They talked of simple things during dinner. Sheamus told how was now the world heavyweight champion-- though he didn’t exactly explain how he came to be it-- and they spoke of the library where Mrs. Gomez worked and how it might start renovations in the next year, which it sorely needed from the years of abuse from hurricanes and other inclement weather. Mr. Gomez told Sheamus he needed to come visit the pirate museum again, because there was a new display on featuring some recently acquired artifacts. It was something he needed to see in person, words couldn’t do them justice.

Sheamus found himself idly wondering if Dolph would like the place. Maybe he could take him… On what, he asked himself? A date? He mentally scoffed at the idea and shoved it away, doing his best to go back to ignoring the man for the moment. Unfortunately, it seemed his luck was against him.

“Again, dear, I am so glad you joined us. I hate to think of you spending the holiday alone, even if it’s not a holiday you really celebrate,” Mrs. Gomez said.

“That’s what my, uh, friend said,” he started saying without thinking, catching himself in the middle before he said something incriminating. He took a large sip of wine to hide the grimace he was sure was on his face.

“Oh, your friend could have come, too,” Mr. Gomez said.

“He’s with his family,” he explained, “in Ohio.”

“Ah, I see. Well, he should be glad to hear that you’re not alone today.”

“Yeah, he was the one that convinced me to come,” he said. And then, because for some reason he could just not shut his mouth, he kept going. “He texted me earlier. He just found out he’s going to be an uncle.”

“That’s wonderful,” said Mr. Gomez. “It’s always good to hear good news like that, especially around the holidays.”

“It certainly is! Tell us about him, dear, you don’t mention your friends very often.”

“You really don’t,” Mr. Gomez added, “I was starting to think that Barrett fellow was the only friend you had.”

“I don’t need a lot of friends,” Sheamus said, wondering how in the hell he was going to get out of this. 

“Quality over quantity? Not a bad a way to go about things. These days it always seems everyone has hundreds on Facebook or whatever the new favorite social media is.”

He remembered how many Twitter followers he had last time he looked and decided that didn’t count. Hoping that was the end of things, he started eating again, but his luck apparently took a one-way flight to Tahiti and hadn’t invited him.

“Well?” Mrs. Gomez prompted.

“Well what?”

“Tell us about your friend. What’s his name?”

Shit. Think, Sheamus, think. Dolph was too obvious, they didn’t really follow the wrestling business but they might recognize his name anyhow… Wait, his middle name. It was generic, what was it again? Nicholas, that was it!

“Nick,” he said, a little too loudly. “His name is Nick.”

“Do you work together?”

“Yeah, we do. For a few years now, though we just started, uh, hanging out.”

That was one way of putting it. As he glanced around the room, his eyes landed on the small crucifix on the wall. It was going to be the only way he put it. Not that he thought the Gomezes were bigots of any kind, but he well knew it was one thing to be tolerant of something and another to have a participant in your dining room.

“How did you start ‘hanging out’?” Mr. Gomez asked.

Sheamus looked at him sharply, wondering if he was just imagining the emphasis. Mr. Gomez looked only honestly curious, so he breathed a mental sigh of relief. Calm down, he told himself.

“We, um…” Fuck, think! “Just sort of started talking one day. He, um… Oh, he asked me how I had pranked Barrett. He knew that Barrett had pranked me, and wanted to know if I got him back because I guess it got around the locker room that I had and it just went from there.”

“He didn’t replace all your shirts with silly leprechaun ones again, did he?” Mrs. Gomez asked, looking ready to give Barrett an earful. He smiled at the image. Barrett wouldn’t have a chance.

“No, he just replaced my soap with Irish Spring. I didn’t realize it until I was already in the showers. Do-- Nick let me borrow his instead,” he explained, catching himself again. “That’s how he knew about the prank.”

“It sounds like his sense of humor stopped at around age twelve,” said Mr. Gomez, shaking his head.

“That what he said! Well, no, he said five, but yeah, he’s not too impressed with Barrett’s humor, either. Although I’ll take stupid Irish jokes over the last one he pulled.” He went on to explain all about being stuck with Bo Dallas and how texting D-- Nick was the only thing that probably kept him out of jail. “We ended up arguing about U2 versus Thin Lizzy for an hour over texts. I mean, I get it, he’s all about the classic rock and such, and sure, Phil Lynott was a great Irishman, but I worked for U2. Loyalty, right?”

“Sure,” Mr. Gomez agreed, though he looked a little reluctant. He shrugged when he saw Sheamus’s expression. “Sorry, I have to agree with Nick, Thin Lizzy’s better. It’s good that you’re loyal, though.”

“Yeah, well…” he trailed off, not really knowing what he wanted or even meant to say. “He does that a lot,” he finally said. “Drag me into conversations until somehow it’s two hours later and I find myself explaining how fancy HDMI cables are rip-offs. Half the time I don’t even know how I got there. Once he asked me about my mohawk, right? It was the afternoon, I remember that, but it’s like the hours just flew. Before I knew it I was halfway through the stories of the Fenian cycle and the sun had started to set. If I hadn’t set an alarm to remind me when to head to the arena, we both would have been late.”

That afternoon, or rather after it, was when Sheamus had finally acknowledged-- if not actively think about-- that maybe, just maybe, he might like Dolph a tiny bit. The hours had flown by, but it wasn’t a blur. Dolph had lazed beside him, stretched out like a cat, his hair frizzed out in a mop that he liked to call his ‘great sex hair’ and Sheamus liked to call ridiculous. He still was unbelievably sexy, his naked body lit by the afternoon sun that peeked through the curtains. He vaguely remembered the mohawk question, and knew that at one point he had started talking about Fionn mac Cumhaill, but the image that was clearest in his mind was that of Dolph, lying there, head resting on his bent arm, and listening intently. He had asked a question here and there, but mostly it had been Sheamus speaking. When his alarm had gone off it had startled both of them; even the slow fade of the sunlight on Dolph’s tanned skin hadn’t clued him in that it was getting late. Every time he had looked over, all he had seen was an enraptured expression.

He hadn’t been told to shut up or move on or just flat out ignored. Dolph had listened to him for what must have been at least three hours and had actually looked annoyed that they had to stop and go to work. He had even asked to hear the rest of the stories soon.

He wasn’t sure what it was that brought him out of his thoughts, but when he did he was faced with two amused expressions. He tried not to flush. Mr. Gomez just shook his head and went back to eating, but Mrs. Gomez kept looking at him. He tilted his head in question, then realized their was a knowing look in her brown eyes. He remembered seeing that look before and suddenly he felt his heart begin to race. He tried to swallow the panic, but it wasn’t working. He stood abruptly, startling the couple.

“Excuse me,” he muttered, then walked into the kitchen.

Once he stepped inside, he realized his mistake. He meant to head for the bathroom to regain his composure, but he wasn’t about to walk through the dining room again. He eyed the kitchen door, tempted to just leave, but that would have been cowardly and he was not a coward. Not too mention rude, and he swore he could feel his grandmother’s glare at the mere thought of it.

“Sheamus?” he heard Mrs. Gomez ask behind him. He made himself turn around and started to apologize.

“I’m sorry--”

“Don’t you dare apologize,” she scolded. He didn’t flinch, though he wanted to, and lowered his eyes. “Oh, dear, no-- I should apologize. I’m sorry, I didn’t mean to alarm you.”

“Oh,” he said, not sure how to react. “You don’t have to apolo--”

“Yes, I did, and I am,” she stated firmly. Her face softened and she placed a hand on his arm. “I’m right, though, aren’t I? He’s not just a friend. No, don’t say anything. Not unless you want to. It’s written all over your face.”

“We’re not upset, if you’re wondering,” Mr. Gomez said, standing in the kitchen doorway. “We have our faith, yes, but that faith believes that all are loved and cherished, no matter who they are or who they’re with. A faith I’m guessing you share.”

“I do,” he murmured. The panic was washed away by relief and he relaxed. “Sorry about that. Bad experience before,” he told them. “Thank you.”

“You are always welcome here, and your beau, too,” Mrs. Gomez said, holding her arms open for a hug. He accepted, leaning down to her much shorter height to wrap his arms around her. Mr. Gomez came over and hugged him as well, and Sheamus felt the last bit of fear float away. “Now,” Mrs. Gomez said after they had parted, “who’s ready for dessert?”

“Absolutely,” Sheamus said, smiling with relief.

***

He wasn’t in love with Sheamus, he repeated to himself hours later while he laid in his childhood bed. He did fall quickly for people, but not this quick, and not for people who only a little over a month earlier supposedly hated him. Running out of the kitchen had been ridiculous, because _he wasn’t in love with Sheamus_.

Dolph was self-aware enough, however, of his own romantic habits to know that he was certainly on the path heading in that direction. At some point in their hookups he had begun to be charmed by Sheamus and his moments of awkward goofiness, endless curiosity, subtle snark, and a playfulness that Dolph had been surprised to find. The cool intelligence and occasional brash anger he had known, but to realize just how smart Sheamus was and how much anger and annoyance he swallowed down and kept to himself was intriguing to Dolph. All of it, in fact, was starting to becoming disturbingly like catnip to him. 

He should break it off now because there was no way it was going to end well if he did end up falling for the Celt, but a big part of him argued against it. What was wrong with letting himself indulge? He wasn’t looking for a relationship anyhow and he wasn’t about to turn down regularly fantastic sex. And now that he was aware of what his feelings were becoming, he could lock them down and keep things as they were. This thing of theirs would likely fizzle out soon enough on its own. Things like this-- whatever it was they had-- were never meant to last.

And if he felt a little twist of something inside, well, it was because he shouldn’t have ate that second piece of pie.

***

Sheamus’s relief continued long after he had returned home, laden with leftovers. It wasn’t that he was uncomfortable with people knowing, exactly; he was a private person to be sure, but he could tell people if he so chose. It was that after the reaction he had had with some members of his family as a young man-- the sneers, the anger, the ignorance that ended with a good third of his extended family refusing to speak to him or of him and generally pretended he didn’t exist-- that he had decided it was best to keep it to himself for the most part. It had made dating a headache in his younger years, more so than it already was.

He had liked enough women to know that he was bisexual, though with greater preference for men, but even that could be troublesome. Only two of the women he had dated hadn’t cared that he was bi when they found out. It was still somewhat of a taboo to nearly nonexistent concept now at times, let alone fifteen years ago. He would have more luck today, and especially now that he was more well-known, but around the time he turned thirty he had more or less given up on traditional dating. Between his orientation and his travel-heavy career, it just wasn’t going to happen, and it made this thing with Dolph even more bizarre because he found himself thinking like he did in his twenties; he seemed to want to perhaps take Dolph some place, or at least be with him outside of hotel rooms. It was logically insane. He wasn’t dating Dolph, had no intention of it, and actively thinking about it made him wonder if he had been hit on the head and forgotten, and yet...

And yet, subconsciously, it appeared as though he was thinking about it. This despite the fact that, while yes, he was fond of the man and certainly attracted to him, he wasn’t sure he truly liked him in any great way. It was just plain ridiculous.

He should put an end to this and stop whatever was going wrong with him. He should, but he knew he wouldn’t. It had been a long time since he had had any kind of regular companionship of the sexual variety and it wasn’t something he was going to give up before he thoroughly exhausted it. He wasn’t one to give up on any kind of relationship, whatever theirs may be, and he wasn’t going to back down now. It was fun, more fun than he had had in ages, especially since realizing Dolph wasn’t as airheaded as he sometimes came across. Sheamus had known of his sense of humor-- who didn’t, really-- but hadn’t realized how self-deprecating it could be. Dolph was an arrogant ass at times and knew it, but also was one of the more honest and genuine people Sheamus knew. He was an interesting mixture of a person, one that Sheamus wasn’t about to let go before he figured out and discovered just how many hidden qualities the man had. The thought of Dolph Ziggler, lawyer, had been bringing a grin to his face at random moments ever since learning it almost happened.

No, Sheamus thought as sprawled naked on his bed, he wasn’t going to let Dolph get away just yet. Any bizarre desire for dating would be pushed aside, there was no room for it. Instead, he would focusing on figuring out every detail of the man one glorious shag at a time.

And speaking of, he had promised Dolph a photo...

**Author's Note:**

> Bulleted because it's easier:
> 
> • If you're wondering where the sexting was at the end, well... I just could not get it written. Maybe someday I'll add a little ficlet in this series with it, but this the best I could pull off. Sorry.
> 
> • Dolph does have a brother named Ryan who is an inch taller, but other than that everything else about him and their family is made up. Same goes for Sheamus. I don't really feel comfortable using their real life family members in these stories. Ryan sneaked only a tiny bit because he's relatively well-known and was/is a wrestler himself, so I felt that much could used.
> 
> • I've never been to Cleveland or Ohio in general, so Dolph's comment about Cleveland air is not a reflection of my beliefs. It's a city, and few cities don't have some kind of pollution going on, so it's not like it couldn't be a comment for any of them.
> 
> • As for Sheamus visiting his family, he probably does IRL over Thanksgiving, but here he doesn't because of the cost. He probably makes more than enough to do it, but I like to think he has a lot of his money invested and maybe is a little cash poor so to speak, so he saves it up to visit for Christmas.
> 
> • I really, really hope I didn't upset anyone with Sheamus's family issues. Most of his family are awesome, it's just those few obnoxious relatives. And I hope it didn't come across as an Irish thing-- Ireland's the only country to approve gay marriage by public vote, so obviously most Irish are awesomely accepting. Instead, it's meant to be an unfortantely average family kind of thing, nation aside.
> 
> • Oh, Sheamus's Gaelic grace is one I just googled. I hope it's right. I can't even remember where I got it, because I wrote that part months ago.


End file.
